CALD Youth participates in IFLRY Rights4Youth Summit

CALD Youth was represented at the IFLRY Rights4Youth Summit in Strasbourg, France on 19-23 April 2013. Anne Chen, Associate Researcherof the Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan, participated in the activity that dealt with the access of young people to human rights.

37 participants from 21 countries debated on youth rights issues and discussed the human rights situation in their respective countries. The Summit commemorates the enactment of the European Convention on Human Rights, sixty years since it came into effect. Strasbourg was chosen as the venue of the summit as it is where the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) are located.

Working group activities included answering a human rights quiz, analyzing case studies on judgments passed by the ECHR, and presenting country reports on access of youth to human rights in various regions. Current challenges include access to education, mobility, housing, employment, welfare, and political participation.The Summit included debates on “Should the youth have their own rights?” and “Are human rights a Western invention?”.

Participants attended a public hearing of the ECHR and also witnessed a speech on human rights delivered by German President Joachim Gauck to the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE. They had the opportunity to interact with members of the Parliamentary Assembly during a joint event with the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) Group of the CoE Parliamentary Assembly.

There was an animated discussion as to whether or not the youth should have specific rights. The Summit concluded with a resolution proclaiming that youth rights are human rights and identifying a widely felt need for recognition of youth and youth-specific policies. The resolution offered concrete recommendations calling upon member and partner organizations to take action. Participants also worked on a video and a booklet, discussing various ways to publicize the Summit outcomes and improve awareness on youth rights issues.

“It was a great opportunity to learn about youth rights issues and from the unique ideas, enthusiasm, and energy of young liberals from other countries,” said Anne. “Taking action on human rights and making individuals aware of human rights issues are very important. I am honored to have represented CALD Youth at the IFLRY Summit and hope that we can continue to work together on our common goals.”

CALD Youth has been a regional member of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) since December 2012 and will be partnering for the IFLRY Executive Committee Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand this June.